Improvement in harvesters



UNrrep STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J. P. MANNY, OF ROOKFORD, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

bpecilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 20.806, dated July 6, 1858.

To all whom it may concern:

4Be it known that I, JOHN P. MANNY, of Rockford, in the county of Winnebago and State of 1llinois,ha\e invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harvesting-iliachines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a l'ull, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure l represents a perspective view of the frame and cutter-bar of said harvestingmachine. Fig. 2 represents a side view ol the frame, showing` the cutter-bar in section. Fig. 3 represents a top view ofthe drivers seat.

The nature of my invention relates to certain improvements in the construction of harvester-frames, by means of which the cutterbar and the platform attached thereto are ref tained in a horizontal position when said critterbar is raised or lowered.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed 'to describe its construction and operation.

A represents the immovable frame of then harvester,ofthe shape represented in thedrawings. To the front end of this frame is attached the caster B by means of the swivelpin O. The tongue D is hinged to the caster .at a, and can turn freely in its bearings, thus leaving the animals free from all weight. In turning sharp corners the caster-wheel E will be turned, and the driving and supporting wheels of the machine will track the casterwheel.

F represents the driving-wheel, which runs between the two rearward prolongations of the frame A, and has its bearings in suitable journal-boxes, G, of the frame A.

H rep'esents a curved shield,which extends to both sides of the driving-wheel, and which, at its upper ends,is formed with journal-boxes b, which are hung loosely upon the shaft of the wheel F and inside of the boxes G of the main frame, so that the shield H can play loosely on the shaft of the driving-wheel. The shield H is t'ormed at its lower end with two brackets, d, to which are secured two hollow wrist-pins, s. K represents the cutter-bar, to

which two brackets, e, are secured, which lit snugly against the sides of the brackets d and over the wrists s, so as to be hinged to said bracket and to have tree play on said [hinges when the cutter-bar is raised. The

wrists s are made hollow to receive the sickle- 'barwhen drawn out or inserted in its working position. Lrepresents acurved standard, which is secured permanently to the cutterbar K. The upper end ot'said standardpasses through the slot j' ot' the frame A, and is prevented from slipping through said slot by means of the cross-pin g, while the convex edge of the standard bears against the friction-roller b', whose shaft is pivoted to the frame A.

his a cord, which is secured at its upper end to the frame A, and passes thence downward and around the pulley m, Fig. 2, thence upward and through the eye at the end of the lever N, thence down again and around pulley n, thence through a groove in the finger-y bar K, around the pulley O, which is attached to the divider-post P, and thence upward to the hinged arm O, to which the shaft of the supporting-wheel Q is secured. The arm O is pivoted to the divider R at p, and can turn freely on said pivot. The lever N, through which the cord h passes, is pivoted to the frame A at q, while the long arm ot' said lever passes through a guide of the hinged brace S, and is retained in any desired position by means of the adjustable pin t.

I and T represent the reel-posts, which are respectively secured to the frame A and the brace U of the divider lt in the manner represented in the drawings.

V represents thc drivers sea-t. It is supported by two bars, u, which are pivoted at their lower ends,'fv, to the frame A, While their upper ends are pivoted at w to the brace at'. The bars u pass through the slot z of the frame A, and can be turned on their pivots for the purpose of moving the seat forward or backward, so as to balance the machine when the seat is occupied bythe driver,and the seat can he retained in any desired position by tighteningthesetscrew ,which passes through a staple of one of the bars u. The brace .fr is formed on one side with a slotted arm, y, extending horizontally from said brace, and the seat V is bolted to the arm y by means of the screw-bolt ct. By this arrangement the seat V can be adjusted so as to suit exactly the convenience of the driver. y

l have represented the bar of the frame next the cutters as projecting back of the cutterbar only, and the caster-Wheel as being in front ofv the driving wheel; but these may be shaft of the driving-Wheel. As the finger-bar is raised the standard L rises up through slot changed-that is, the above-mentioned bar lf, and is guided in its movements by the fricmay curve around behind the driving-wheel and project still farther back,where it is-joined by the bar ou the other side of the drivingwheel, and the caster-wheel may be put at or near the point of junction of these two bars and at aconsiderable distance behind the driving-Wheel.

The object of the frame A and the two Wheels E F is to make a rigid frame-that is, a frame that is always parallel to the groundand to this rigid frame is attached the loose adjustable frame, so that the driver or couduetor, from his seat, may raise, lower, or adjust the loose frame on the rigid one by the Ineens shown in the figures.

The driver on his seat, by pressing` down the long arm ofthe lever N, raises the short arm ot' said lever, and thereby pulls the cord h, and the finger-bar K is raised to the position represented in red in Fig. 2. It Will be noticed that in this movement the frame A remains stationary, While the shield H turns on the tion-roller b', and the curvature of the standard L is such that it will cause the lingerloar K to retain its horizontal position, it having free play on the wrists or sleeves s.

Having thus fully described the nature of' myY invention,what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In combination With a main frame, A, supported in a fixed position that is parallel with the surface of the ground at all times, and a finger-bar attached thereto and operated as described, one arm of the said frame extended sufciently to the rear to project over or behind the iinger-bar ot' the machine, substantially in the manner and for the purpose described, and this I claim whether the casterwheel be in front of or behind the driving- Wheel, as described.

JOHN P. MANN Y.

Witnesses:

A. B. SToUGH'roN, THos. H. UPPERMAN. 

